The One That Got Away
by charley07
Summary: Aria returns to Rosewood after four years away, recently widowed and with a baby. She's still struggling when she runs into Ezra at Hollis. Sad and guarded, will she let him help her recover from her loss or will she push him away again, once and for all?
1. Chapter 1

Aria Montgomery-Chapman made her way down the memorable hallways of Hollis College in search of her father's new office. After more than fifteen years with the school, Byron had finally been named chair of the English department and Aria had stopped by to see his new—and nicer—office. She adjusted the bundle in her arms and continued seeking her father out.

"Aria Montgomery."

She smiled as she spotted a familiar face. "Hello, Mrs. Ginn. How are you?"

"I'm well, dear," the department secretary replied warmly, noticing the baby. "This must be Nichola."

"Yeah, this is Nic," Aria confirmed.

The older woman grinned. "She's just precious. How old?"

"Almost two months," Aria replied.

Mrs. Ginn patted Aria's shoulder. "Very sweet. If you're looking for your dad, he was down in Dr. Fitz's office."

Aria froze. "Ezra is 'Dr.' Fitz now?"

"Yes," Mrs. Ginn nodded. "He spent the better part of the last four years working on his PhD but he finished the work for it in May. It certainly consumed him."

"Well, good for him," Aria finally declared.

Moments later, after Mrs. Ginn let her go, Aria made her way to an office she could probably still find blindfolded and knocked.

"It's open!"

She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. There he was, seated at his desk, the man who would always have a great deal of her heart. Ezra Fitz.

"Aria," he breathed.

"Hi," she greeted him softly. "Mrs. Ginn said my dad was down here."

"Uh, he had a meeting with the dean of Arts and Sciences," he told her. "Was he expecting you?"

She shook her head. "No, we were just going to surprise him."

Ezra stood up. "Nichola, right? Your dad said you called her Nic."

"Yes, or Nicki," she replied. "Nicholas was her dad's middle name."

"I heard about your husband," he said solemnly. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks," she whispered. "Um, congratulations on your PhD. I know it was something you always wanted."

He chuckled. "I never thought it would happen but I'm glad it did."

"I knew it would," she assured him.

Ezra cleared his throat. "So, how long are you in town?"

"Just moved back," she answered. "I'll start at Rosewood High in January. I'm taking your old job."

"That's great," he grinned.

Aria fidgeted nervously. "If my dad is busy, I should go."

"Oh, right," he mumbled. "Well, it was really good to see you, Aria. Your daughter is beautiful."

She smiled. "Thank you. I guess I'll see you around."

Once she was gone, Ezra sighed and sat back down. He opened the top left drawer of his desk, dug under some papers, and pulled out the small velvet box that held the ring he'd never given her. It mocked him these days, rubbing in his face that though he was professionally successful, his personal life had been non-existent since Aria had gone to spend her junior year of college abroad at Oxford, causing their break-up after four years together. Due to their split, she'd had no hurry to come home so she spent her senior year there, too, and when she finally returned stateside, she was married to a 'charming British coed named Peter Chapman,' according to Byron. That had been two years ago and for two years, Ezra carried around that information like a dead weight around his neck. And then, that previous April, Peter had died in a car accident, leaving a four-month pregnant Aria widowed at just barely twenty-four. Ella had gone to stay with her in Philadelphia until Nichola was born and now, Aria was home in Rosewood. He'd be lying if he said there wasn't part of him that hoped for some sort of reconciliation but a new baby and a recently deceased husband made that idea entirely impractical. All Ezra planned to do was be there for her if she needed—or even wanted—him around.

"There she is!" Hanna Rivers squealed, taking Nic into her arms when Aria reached her booth at the Applewood Grille twenty minutes later. "How is my favorite niece today?"

"Sleepy," Aria answered. "She's slept on and off all day." She removed her coat. "So I went to see my dad at Hollis but he was in a meeting and I ran into Ezra instead."

"Really?" Hanna breathed. "How did that go?"

"Uncomfortable," Aria admitted. "He was very polite and offered condolences about Pete but I just wanted out of there as quick as possible."

Hanna shrugged. "Well, it's been four years, you were married, and you have a baby. I think awkwardness with your ex-boyfriend/the love of your life is normal."

Aria made a face. "Pete was the love of my life."

"Look, I liked Pete and it's terrible what happened but I'm not going to sit here and believe you loved him like you loved Fitz," Hanna stated honestly. "I don't mean to sound harsh but it's true. Pete was there when you and Ezra broke up and he was secure and comfortable."

"Peter was my husband, Hanna," Aria snapped. "How would you feel if Caleb died tomorrow and I came in and said, 'Oh, so sad but it's a good thing Sean, the love of your life, is still alive?'"

Hanna frowned. "Comparing my relationship with Sean to yours with Fitz is apples and oranges. I know that you greatly miss Pete and it upsets me to know Nicki won't know her dad but maybe you should consider talking to Ezra."

Aria shook her head in anger and stood up once more. She put on her coat and took Nic into her arms. "I can't believe you're talking to me like this. My husband hasn't been buried for seven months and you're telling me I should just get right back together with my ex. That's so nice, Hanna. Thanks for your support." Without another word, she stormed out of the restaurant.

"I thought you were having lunch with Hanna?" Ella said when Aria made her way into the Montgomery household moments later.

"And I thought Hanna was my friend," Aria replied, walking right past her mother for the staircase. "If you're not busy, I'd like to look at apartments today."

Ella followed behind Aria to her childhood bedroom. "Sweetie, are you sure? You're just barely back on your feet."

"Mom, I'm twenty-four-years-old and I have a daughter to take care of," Aria said. "I can't live with my parents forever."

"I understand that but you're going through a lot right now and I want to make sure you're okay to be out on your own again," Ella explained.

Aria took Nic from her carseat and laid her in her bassinet next to Aria's bed. "I'm doing just fine."

"Are you?" Ella wondered. "You just stormed in from what should've been lunch with one of your best friends."

"That's because Hanna has a big mouth and unwarranted opinions," Aria snapped. "Now, will you help me or not?"

"Yes," Ella sighed, knowing it was a losing battle. "I've already seen a couple you might like, particularly one, but I don't know that you'll like the location."

Her daughter sat on her bed and opened her laptop. "Why not?"

"It's in Ezra's building," Ella replied quietly.

Aria looked down and closed her eyes. In high school, after she and her friends had been set up with Ali's murder weapon in the woods, she and Ezra had come out about their relationship to her family. Surprisingly, Byron had come to terms with them quite easily while Ella struggled but eventually, she saw how in love they were and accepted it. By the time Aria started college at the University of Pennsylvania, the Montgomery's had considered Ezra family, as his own dysfunctional parents and older brother were in New York and not very close to him. To this day, Ezra had remained friendly with Byron and Ella, despite everything that had happened with Aria. That had always bothered Aria because she was afraid they'd never accept Peter fully while they still spent time with Ezra but now, it no longer mattered.

"Aria?" Ella murmured, breaking her daughter's thoughts. "Do you want to see that apartment or should I discard it?"

"I'll look at it," Aria decided. "Ezra and I have been apart for four years and I was married. It's not like I'll have to see him anyways."

Ella said nothing more as she excused herself to return to the den downstairs.

After a long day at Hollis, Ezra made his way into his apartment building and immediately noticed that the lights in the manager's office were still on, a rarity for anytime after five. He looked inside and instantly his heart skipped a beat because there, shaking hands with the building owner, was Aria Montgomery-Chapman, agreeing to what appeared to be a lease to a unit in the building. As if she knew someone was watching, she looked out into the hallway and saw Ezra. He smiled slightly but the look he received in return gave him the impression that getting back into her life—even just as a friend—was going to be much harder than he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**I know it's been a long time since I updated this story but with only one chapter and a possible epilogue to go on _Ghosts of Boyfriends Past, _I thought I'd throw myself into this one now. It won't be very long but I like the ideas that I have so we'll see. If you want to see anything, let me know cause I'm always open to suggestions. Also, I changed Aria's daughter's name from Georgie to Nic (sometimes Nicki) because when I went back and re-read the first chapter, I realized her name was Georgina Chapman and that's the name of the co-founder and designer for Marchesa and that was a little weird. Nic is a name I've used before and it's short for Nichola-which is British-so it works here. As always, I love reading reviews and feedback so thanks! I'll try to update more often now, too.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing _PLL_-related.**

* * *

><p>"It looks good," Spencer told Aria as she walked through her friend's new apartment. "It's small but for you and Nicki, it works."<p>

Aria nodded. "Yeah, I really like it."

"Have you uhh, run into Ezra at all?" Spencer wondered, reaching into Nic's pack-n-play to pick her up. "Or does he not live here anymore?"

"He does," Aria confirmed. "I saw him the night I signed my lease but that's been it. Of course, that was after I'd run into him at Hollis College the same day."

"Yeah, Hanna told me about all that," Spencer admitted. "She feels bad for what happened."

"She hasn't told me that," Aria muttered. "I haven't heard from her at all and it's been more than a week."

Spencer sighed. "Well, she knows she was out of line but she doesn't know how to approach you."

"I'd take a simple apology," Aria said dryly. "The things she said were uncalled for and so insensitive. I would _never_ say those things to any of you if the tables were turned."

"Aria, you know how Hanna is," Spencer reasoned. "She has a hard time reconciling her mouth to her brain sometimes so she rarely thinks before she speaks."

Aria walked to her kitchen. "And usually, I would accept that because I know that's just Hanna but there are boundaries and she certainly crossed one."

"I'm not saying that Hanna was right to say what she said but I do think you should talk to Fitz," Spencer admitted. "For a long time, he was a major part of your life and then you guys just broke up and never really got any closure."

"It's hard," Aria admitted, making a bottle for Nic. "Seeing him today, for the first time in four years, was like taking a bullet. I know that sounds bad because I _was_ married and I was very much in love with Peter but being around Ezra brought up so many old feelings."

Spencer rocked the baby carefully. "It's possible to love or have loved more than one person, you know. And Ezra was your first love so you're always going to remember what that was like."

"Easy for you to say," Aria grumbled. "You're marrying your high school sweetheart, just like Hanna did."

"True," Spencer confirmed, "but it's still true. Melissa loved Wren and Ian and now she's married to Cameron."

"Such winners," Aria scoffed. "I mean, Cameron is okay but the other two are suspect."

"I just don't want you guys to run into each other in the lobby and it be uncomfortable forever," Spencer said.

Aria took Nic to feed her. "Maybe you're right."

"I usually am," Spencer smirked.

Late that night, long after Spencer had left and Nic had gone to bed, Aria was washing her hands in the kitchen after doing the dishes. As she went to grab the towel to dry them, she bumped into the soap dispenser, knocking it over.

"No!" she cried as her wedding rings, which she always removed when she washed her hands, went down the drain. "Damn it!" She turned on the light over the sink and looked down the disposal but it was completely dark.

"Aria?" Byron muttered when he answered the phone moments later. "What's wrong?"

"I was washing my hands and I reached for the towel and I knocked over the soap and my rings fell down the drain and I can't get to them and I don't know what to do!" she sobbed frantically. "I can't lose my rings, Dad."

He sat up in bed. "Okay, calm down. Have you called a super?"

"Yes, but he was completely worthless," she replied. "He said he can't be here until the morning and I can't wait that long."

"Aria, it's going on midnight," Byron said. "Just don't run your disposal and he'll get them tomorrow."

"No!" she cried. "They're my wedding rings, Dad. If I don't get them back, I'm letting Peter down."

He frowned. "Sweetie, Peter would understand; accidents happen all the time."

"Forget it," she snapped, ending the call. She dropped her head into her hands. She knew she could call Caleb or Toby and they would come but they both lived more than twenty minutes away and she couldn't wait.

Ezra was finally settling into bed for the night when there was a knock at his door. He walked to answer it and was surprised to find Aria standing before him, holding Nic in her arms.

"Hi," he greeted her. "Is everything all right?"

"How are you at plumbing?" she wondered.

Moments later, Ezra found himself seated on Aria's kitchen floor, wrench in hand, ready to open the pipe under her sink in search of her wedding rings.

"I'm sorry about this," she apologized, returning from Nic's room. "I just, I freaked out."

"It's okay," he assured her, opening the pipe, allowing a flow of goop to fall into the bucket he'd placed beneath it. "I probably would, too."

Aria hopped up onto the opposite counter. "Yeah, right. You're always calm under pressure."

"Not always," he denied, using a snake through the pipe. "I've been known to lose my cool on occasion."

"When?" she asked.

"Um, when I didn't get into Stanford in high school," he remembered. "And I wasn't fond of the time Jackie dumped me a month before our wedding." He paused. "I really lost it when we broke up, too."

"Oh," she whispered uncomfortably. "Um, any luck down there yet?"

Ezra, wearing rubber yellow gloves, dug through the bucket and held his hand up triumphantly. "Ah-ha! Your wedding rings."

"Oh, my God, thank you!" she exclaimed, taking them from him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

He chuckled and stood up. "You're welcome."

She threw herself into his arms. "This means a lot to me."

"Uh, sure," he breathed. "I'm happy to help."

Aria pulled away quickly, having felt that familiar spark between them, the one she could never quite forget. "Right. Well, I really appreciate you coming up here so late. I owe you one."

"Don't worry about it," he said, heading to the door. "Goodnight, Aria."

"Goodnight, Ezra," she replied quietly, shutting the door behind him. She leaned back against it. "Oh, crap."

"So he came down to your apartment at midnight to fish your wedding rings—from another guy—out of your kitchen drain?" Spencer asked the next morning when Aria called her. "Oh, man, you're in trouble with that one. And why would you call him for that?"

"Well, I called my dad and he said I should just wait til the morning for the super," Aria replied as she carefully dressed Nic. "And then I considered calling Toby or Caleb but you guys live on the other side of town and that seemed silly."

"Sure," Spencer agreed, pouring coffee into Toby's travel mug while he prepared for work, "because your ex-boyfriend is living a floor below you and would still do anything for you."

Aria adjusted the phone against her ear as she picked Nic up. "It's not like that. Maybe he just wants to be friends."

"Oh, right," Spencer deadpanned. "What guy doesn't want to be friends with the girl who broke his heart?"

"Spence," Aria said warningly. "You're starting to sound a lot like Hanna now."

Spencer chuckled. "All right, I'm sorry. It was very nice of him to come help you out and I'm sure it was just a friendly, neighborly gesture."

"If you're going to mock me now I'm hanging up," Aria declared. "I guess I need to call Hanna anyways."

"Okay," Spencer agreed. "I need to get to class but I'll talk to you later. Let me know how it goes with Hanna."

At twelve-thirty, Aria made her way into Blue Moon, the vintage shop in Rosewood, and found Hanna sorting through a box at the registers.

"Hi," Hanna said nervously. "Look, Aria, I'm really sorry for what I said last week. It was really stupid and inconsiderate and of course Pete was the love of your life. I just know how upset Fitz was when you guys broke up and when you said you ran into him, that's what I thought of."

Aria set Nic's carseat down on the counter and shrugged. "It's okay, Hanna. I know you didn't mean it." She paused. "How do you know how upset he was?"

"Um, he was my professor for Advanced Poetry," Hanna answered, having gone to Hollis College. "I needed an upper-level humanities and I guess I figured he was a safe choice. It was really weird at first, because you were engaged to Peter at the time and he didn't know that, but eventually I had to meet with him about my portfolio and we talked about you and he was just sort of sad. He asked how you were doing in London and I tried to be vague but I could tell hearing you were doing so well was hard on him. I don't know, I guess it was the first time I got to see exactly how much he had loved you and it kind of broke my heart because I always liked him."

"I see," Aria said. "Well, there's a chance he and I might end up friends so maybe he'll be around a little bit. He helped me out of a tight spot last night."

Hanna raised an eyebrow. "What kind of tight spot, Ar?"

"Nothing like that, you weirdo," Aria scoffed. "When I was washing my hands, I accidentally knocked my rings down the drain and he came down to get them out for me."

"Hmm," Hanna mused. "You knock your rings from Peter down the drain and your first thought is to run to Ezra for help? Interesting."

"No," Aria denied, "my first thought was the good-for-nothing super in the building and then my dad and then I considered calling Caleb or Toby but I finally settled for Ezra because he lives there and it was easiest. I panicked and just wanted my rings."

The blonde said nothing as she emerged from around the counter. "Well, that was very nice of him."

"I know what you're thinking," Aria told her, "and you shouldn't."

"All I'm thinking is that it's been seven months and you aren't getting any younger," Hanna shrugged. "And it isn't like Ezra is a complete stranger; you loved him first."

"I have a daughter to think about now," Aria reminded her, looking down at a sleeping Nic. "And I'm not ready to even think about dating yet."

"You don't have to date him," Hanna assured her. "Just don't push him away either."

Aria thought back to the previous night and how easy it had been to be around him, despite her best efforts to keep her feelings in check. "I'll keep that in mind," she muttered.


End file.
